UK and Mauritius Seek Deal on Diego Garcia Military Base

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday he is determined to resolve the disputed status of the U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia, following U.S. opposition that paused the handover deal. Britain agreed last year to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, but the implementing legislation stalled after President Donald Trump called the deal a "big mistake." Burnham spoke with Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam, and they agreed foreign ministers should meet at the U.N. General Assembly. The signed treaty would give Britain control of the base for nearly a century in return for annual payments of 101 million pounds to Mauritius, totaling 3.4 billion pounds over the deal's lifetime. The bill to enact the handover has not yet passed the British parliament.